240 replies to this topic

[Katia11]

Hmm.. I don't know if I've tried an audiobook for a fantasy like that before. I mostly listen to YA and MG. So, I feel like if there are a lot of names that could get confusing for me.

 

I suppose I could try both and see which way works best

[SweeneyxxTodd]

I tried the audiobook first, but there were too many names, and I couldn't keep track of who was who or what was what. I'm the kind of person who needs to see a strange word spelled out to really hold it in my mind and make sense of it.

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

I don't know that seeing/hearing makes a difference for me, but Tim is dyslexic and has ADHD, so for him audiobooks make it easier to keep track of who's who because every character has a different voice. When he reads something in print they all get mixed up.

[Mara=^.^=]

"So yes, I, Adolin Kholin, cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom, have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose." He downed the rest of his wine. "You are a very strange woman."

What am I reading........

Shallan, your quips are weak. Say Shartplate, woman
 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

Okay, um... what???

[SweeneyxxTodd]

"So yes, I, Adolin Kholin, cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom, have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose." He downed the rest of his wine. "You are a very strange woman."

What am I reading........

Shallan, your quips are weak. Say Shartplate, woman

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

LOL I love that part xD

[Katia11]

"So yes, I, Adolin Kholin, cousin to the king, heir to the Kholin princedom, have shat myself in my Shardplate. Three times, all on purpose." He downed the rest of his wine. "You are a very strange woman."

What am I reading........

Shallan, your quips are weak. Say Shartplate, woman
 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

LOL

[Mara=^.^=]

Just finished Spell Bound by F. T. Lukens.

 

 

I chose this book for the shallowest of reasons: I love the cover art (it's holographic!). I guess it just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover, because the plot is...thin. It works, for what it is, but it definitely reads more like elementary or middle grade fiction, despite the constant F-bombs. The author uses that peppy, rambling, self-effacing first person narration that's all the rage these days, and it makes the lead characters sound like movie teenagers, rather than authentic teenagers. The internal monologues pad the novel to such a degree that the inciting action doesn't occur until after the halfway mark. I lost track of how many times Rook mentally described Sun as "cute" or "adorable" — it's like yes, we get it, thank you. Have an adventure now, please.

Overall, I'd rate it 3 stars. Not great, but a passable, easy read.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

 

An entire book dedicated to pleasant, ordinary people doing their best, with a heavy focus on space anthropology alien culture and biology? Yes please. 

 

It doesn't have a three-act structure (honestly, it reads more like a serialized comic or TV show), but it's just so damn endearing, and it's so refreshing to see characters handling their problems like reasonable adults.

 

4 Stars .

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

I've wanted to re-read this one. I was so-so about it the first time through, but that was several years ago now. I might maybe enjoy it more now.

[Mara=^.^=]

I've wanted to re-read this one. I was so-so about it the first time through, but that was several years ago now. I might maybe enjoy it more now.

 

I don't think it really functions as a standalone; the fact that each book in the Wayfarer series focuses on a different set of characters works to the story's detriment. I'd probably rate it higher if the other books continued with the adventures of, you know, the freaking Wayfarer. I almost dropped it down to 3.5 solely for this reason.

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Mara=^.^=]

 

So much of the conflict in this book comes from people making unbelievably stupid choices and/or not communicating. All four siblings (and their allies) stubbornly keep hiding shit, even though secrecy is obviously a poison pill. "I'll explain later" is a perennial favorite phrase, and it not only destroys relationships, it also quite literally endangers the world. I get that distrust is a major theme here, but it's exhausting.

The new villain (who killed the old villains) is too cartoonishly evil to be compelling, and the most interesting character dynamic — the incredible romantic chemistry between Kaleb and Prince Lukas — is pushed into the background right as it's starting to gain momentum. Amrit and Vira are like a dark version of Hector and Elisa from Rae Carson's Fire and Thorns trilogy, which is fun, but Vira isn't likeable enough to really sell it.

Unfortunately, I can't say that this book improved upon the previous one. This is just my two cents, but I think that one of the four siblings should have been cut. Ronak, I suspect, could have been collapsed and merged with Riya, without losing much. The author tried to cram too much into too few pages, and it led to frenzied pacing, hackneyed inciting incidents, and rushed character development. Focusing on three main characters instead of four would've yielded a much cleaner, stronger narrative.

The food descriptions were 5/5, though.
 

2.5 stars, almost rounded up to 3 .

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

I read this one, too! I wasn't wowed by it, but I had a good time overall. Look, I'm notoriously easy to please.  lol

[Mara=^.^=]

 

Reading a sci-fi book written 50 years ago is always an interesting endeavor. Arthur C. Clarke imagines a future where humanity has colonized the solar system, moved past the threat of nuclear war, adopted ethical non-monogamy, reduced population through breeding controls, and created genetically engineered, semi-intelligent monkeys to assist with mundane chores aboard spacecraft. And yet, somehow, women still only make up a tiny minority of leadership positions in the scientific and geopolitical community. There's one chapter in particular that starts with an almost cartoonishly sexist paragraph where a character remarks that women shouldn't be allowed in space because their breasts are distracting in Zero-G. The sexism feels especially shocking when compared to the constant stream of innovative ideas found elsewhere in the novel.

 

That aside, this is a really, really compelling piece of hard sci-fi. It's a vision of first contact unlike any I've seen — it's the narrative equivalent of peering into a glorious cathedral through a tiny, dirty window. Despite humanity's most valiant efforts, the protagonists only have a brief moment in which to scratch the surface of a much deeper mystery. The book ends on a six word cliffhanger, and it's one of the best ending sentences I've ever read. Somehow, the lack of resolution actually works to the story's benefit — it's a tale in which discovery abounds, but comprehension is in short supply. I normally hate a lack of payoff, but the chilling final line makes it work. It's a shame that Clarke capitulated to fan demands and was semi-involved in writing a handful of notoriously bad sequels many years later. I will not be reading them.

 

3.5 stars. Points docked for the boob paragraph.

 

 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[Katia11]

"There's one chapter in particular that starts with an almost cartoonishly sexist paragraph where a character remarks that women shouldn't be allowed in space because their breasts are distracting in Zero-G. The sexism feels especially shocking when compared to the constant stream of innovative ideas found elsewhere in the novel."

But Mara, they are distracting! They cause so many problems. You really can't DOWNPLAY the alarming nature of breasts in space!

[Mara=^.^=]

They cause so many problems. You really can't DOWNPLAY the alarming nature of breasts in space!

 

ATTACK OF THE CLONES BREASTS

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

*busts out laughing like crazy, rolling on the floor* LMAOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Mara=^.^=]

 

Written in 1973, The Man Who Folded Himself is very much the genre-definer for time travel stories, and it's still influencing popular sci-fi today. The Time Variance Authority — which was first introduced in an 1986 issue of Thor, and lives on in the Marvel TV show Loki — directly draws from it, right down to some of the terminology. Now, I read this book because I am terrible at coming up with time travel stories, and I was hoping to steal some ideas for my superhero RPG. Unfortunately, I don't think Tim would be pleased if I introduced this material into the campaign, given the number of sex scenes between the protagonist and...err, himself.

 

This is book is weird, but it's also perfectly constructed, guiding the reader through an eternally repeating, closed loop, where the end is the beginning, and the beginning is also the end. It is a thorough (and narcissistic) examination, not of time, but of the self. From a philosophical standpoint, it accomplishes what The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was trying to accomplish, and it does so in only 118 pages. It's also deeply uncomfortable to read. I don't know what else to say about this one — there's literally nothing wrong with it, but I'd also never want to read it again.

 

So .....4 stars? .........maybe?? It squicked me out, but the craftsmanship is immaculate, and I have to respect that .
 

~*Mara*~ = ^.^ =

[SweeneyxxTodd]

Unfortunately, I don't think Tim would be pleased if I introduced this material into the campaign, given the number of sex scenes between the protagonist and...err, himself.

Lol

[Katia11]

I am literally laughing so hard right now.

[JimmyxxCindy4EVER]

LOLWUT